The present invention relates to apparatus for retaining the bottom flaps of a carton in their infolded position prior to sealing, in a manner which permits filling of the carton.
In the packaging, corrugated and fiberboard cartons have been used for many years. Such cartons are manufactured in the form of flat carton blanks which must be unfolded to form the carton. It has heretofore generally been the practice to infold the bottom flaps of the carton blank and apply a sealing tape thereto, retaining the bottom flaps in place, so as to permit filling of the carton. The present invention is directed to a fixture which retains the bottom flaps of a carton in their infolded position permitting the filling thereof without the application of a sealing tape. This fixture is particularly useful when used in conjunction with modern carton sealing machines which simultaneously apply a sealing tape to the bottom and top flaps of a filled carton.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a fixture to retain the bottom flaps in their infolded position so as to permit filling of the carton.
Another object of the invention is to provide such a fixture which is lightweight and portable.
A further object of the invention is to provide such a fixture which accepts a broad range of carton sizes.
A still further object of the invention is to provide such a fixture which can be positioned adjacent the infeed conveyor of an automatic carton sealing machine to function as a packing station.
These and other objects of the invention are realized by the carton packing station fixture of the present invention which comprises a longitudinally extending base plate means and a pair of longitudinally extending flap retaining flange members extending upwardly and outwardly from the longitudinal center axis of the base plate means. The flap retaining flange members are spaced a short distance from the base plate means so as to permit receipt and retension of a corresponding side bottom flap therebetween. The upper surface of the flap retaining flange member prevents the downward movement of a corresponding end bottom flap. The infeed ends of the flap retaining flange members terminate a distance from the infeed end of the base plate means to form a carton set-up portion on the base plate means.